The BSI-MAS is a microbial identification service in the laboratory of Professor Joseph Kloepper. The service has been in operation since 1991 and is performed by John McInroy. The BSI-MAS has the capability of identifying a diverse selection of microbes including environmental and clinical eubacteria, actinomycetes, mycobacteria, anaerobic bacteria, yeasts and some filamentous fungi using the Sherlock System. The Sherlock System is a product of MIDI, Inc. and identification is predicated upon the fact that microbes, especially bacteria have a unique array of fatty acids in their membranes. Pure cultures are subjected to an extraction procedure which involves disrupting the cell wall and membrane, methylating the fatty acids and extracting them with an organic solvent. This collection of fatty acid methyl esters is then analyzed on a fully automated gas chromatographic analytical system. Fatty acid profiles are compared to a database of profiles for over 1000 bacterial species and about 250 fungal species. Results generated by fatty acid analysis include a list of fatty acids present, relative percentage of each as well as microbial identification and fitness of match. The system can analyze about 150 samples per day (or over 1000 per week) allowing for large projects.

Additional capabilities of the Sherlock System include construction of dendrograms and 2-D plot analyses of fatty acid data. These are useful tool in determining strain relatedness and phylogeny.

Example 1:

Two morphologically similar isolates, each determined to produce a certain desirable compound but isolated from the same source, can be analyzed to determine whether they are in fact the same strain or two members of the same species or subspecies.

Example 2:

Of thirty strains, all of which identify to the same species, a handful have a noticeably lower percentage of one specific fatty acid. A 2-D plot could help determine whether this difference is a result of the formation of a subspecies or if the fatty acid in question simply has a wide range of variability for this species.

Example 3:

Upon isolation from diseased plant material, an organism is isolated which causes similar disease symptoms when inoculated into a second plant. Isolation from the second plant yields several colony morphologies all similar to the initial strain. Strain recovery can be confirmed by 2-D plot or dendrogram analysis.

Sending Samples

Broth or agar cultures can be sent, although cultures on agar slants are preferred. The preferred growth medium is trypticase soy agar or nutrient agar. Samples should be clearly labelled with a strain designation. Ship samples to:

Price List per Strain (in US Dollars)

Public Sector

Number of Strains	Price
1-100	$50.00 each
101 or more	$45.00 each

Private Sector

Number of Strains	Price
1-100	$60.00 each.
101 or more	$55.00 each

For additional information jmcinroy@ag.auburn.edu

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